•‘I’ve no foreign accounts, company’
•‘N10b came from oil block accounts’
Former National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki has said he handed over the N10billion given to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nomination convention delegates to former President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa and the Aide-de-Camp.
He said the money was given out by the two aides, on the directive of Dr. Jonathan.
The former NSA said aside collecting the cash, he had nothing to do with it.
As at press time, no slush funds had been traced to Dasuki’s personal accounts, it was learnt.
Dasuki, who protested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had subjected him to “media trial”, said such a treatment might jeopardise his defence.
Also yesterday, it was gathered that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) confirmed that the N10 billion was sourced from the Signature Bonus Account (oil block Account).
But the ex-NSA expressed regrets that he was being vilified by the EFCC when he acted on the instructions and approval of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He said he had no foreign account and his local accounts are in Skye bank Plc, GTB and Standard Chartered Bank.
“That I am aware in November (I cannot remember the exact date), my office requested the CBN to exchange N10billion from the account of the Office of National Security Adviser domiciled in CBN. The money was exchanged at $47m and some Euros which I cannot remember. The exact amount was delivered at my residence.
“The money was for delegates that attended the nomination. .
“In respect of funds given to Amb. Bashir Yuguda between December 2014 and 2015, I authorised the payment of N1.5billion from the Office of the National Security Adviser for political campaign in the last elections. I remember paying DAAR Communications the sum of N2.120billion from ONSA for media activities for the Presidential Campaign 2015.”
A Staff Officer Account 1 in the Office of the NSA, Yazidu Ibrahim said in his statement as follows: ” I can testify that in the last five years, for all the companies that were paid, VAT and Withholding Tax were never paid for any contract.
“Also, to the best of my knowledge, there is no tenders board and procurement unit at the NSA. The awarding authority for all contracts, remains the NSA. All payments for contracts are (sic) based on directive from the DFA. Sometimes, there were accompanying documents most times, there was nothing except account details of contractors.
“In the last five years, the SAS imprest account has been passed and ONSA is getting direct funding from the government.
“I want to state as follows: many of the contracts were fake because the payment were round figures. (2), many of the payments were related to the 2015 presidential elections and not for national security. Many of the cash payments were just looted. Many people in the ruling PDP got huge sums of money”.
” The SAS imprest account is an account maintained by the NSA and the Permanent Secretary, Special Service Office. This is where money for the intelligence community is first paid before sharing between the ONSA, NSA and DSS.”
